Sonic Cycle: a Time Travel story
by Valkeerie
Summary: A story that better represents Time Travel as an infinite loop, where events happen repeatedly and are forever changeless, with no grasp of their origins, using the Sonic Universe as a base.
1. Introduction

INTRODUCTION

It's no surprise that Sonic Team tried to deal with the concept of Time Travel, with the likes of Sonic CD and Sonic '06, but what it left was a bitter taste to fans of the concept - myself included - who expected some faithfulness to it from professional writers. What I'm trying to offer is a story that better represents Time Travel as an infinite loop, where events happen repeatedly and are forever changeless, with no grasp of their origins, using the Sonic Universe as a base.

THE PREMISE

After the events of Sonic Adventure 2, when everyone had gone their own separate paths, Rouge approached Eggman with the recently "stolen" Time Stones. She wanted him to build a device that would grant her eternal youth, but Eggman was reminded of something bigger when he glanced at those gems. Imprisoning Rouge and taking the stones with him, he decided to build Neo Angel Island, starting by expanding on ARK's model of the Master Emerald shrine, completing the "Hidden" Palace with murals of what had happened until then (including the so called Super Sonic prophecy against Perfect Chaos, for example).

In order to take Sonic and friends out of his world, he had to lure them into the new island, by using a menacing plot against the world they inhabit. He used the Time Stones to create a time vacuum outside Earth's atmosphere, and the remains of Death Egg were the first to suddenly disappear, having appeared you know when (before the game "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", making a nod to how Eggman built it already in space from its remains). In order to stop the vacuum, the Master Emerald was necessary, but little did Knuckles and friends know that it would only isolate the new island, making it disappear along with the vacuum in a time displacement event, as both pulled each other like a magnet.

The Master Emerald and the Time Stones would disappear forever along with the island, but the legend says that Angel Island didn't always exist before, having appeared some time from the future, and being nurtured by the same Echidnas - Knuckles' ancient civilization - that had found it and created the legends and lore that would be passed on to future generations. What was made of the Time Stones in the past? That's another story to be told... But Neo Angel Island is, in fact, what stories depict as the legendary Angel Island, the same ones that had reached Sonic and friends not so long ago (as told in the "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" manual).


	2. Chapter 1 - The Set Up

CHAPTER I - The Set Up

It wasn't long ago that Sonic, his friends and Eggman faced peril when confronting the prototype of the ultimate life form, and made a vow to embrace life on Earth soon after it was about to be destroyed. The peace has endured, but it felt bittersweet, as Eggman could no longer put his ingenious evil mind to work, until one day he was reminded of something when a messenger with a proposal came into his base.

It was Rouge! It seems her passion for jewels has not yet vanished, and stealing them from their bearer was a well known practice to her, because the Time Stones could not have "walked" into Earth on their own, but that's a whole new story.  
"Aging will eventually slow me down. If only I could keep my youth…" – she tried to glimpse her wish, but Eggman had better plans. "Follow me! I'd like to show you something I've been working on." And so did Rouge, as they walked into a dark room with only a few murals being lit by projectors. They seemed to tell a story that was familiar to Eggman, as he narrated them quite effortlessly, even though he had to decipher them on the go. Suddenly, he started using the Future tense: "He, who will use the Time Stones to displace matter in time, shall fulfill Angel Island's destiny by bringing in the controller of Chaos to the core, and forever be trapped in it!"

Rouge looked confused. "Why?" – she asked Eggman. "I cannot bring myself to harm those I swore to, and my promise shall be kept for as long as they remain in this world. Or should I say time?" Eggman's intentions became clear to Rouge. She realized she had brought the trigger to his plan, and it wasn't long before she started running, but to her demise.

In possession of the Time Stones, Eggman could finally realize his menacing plot.


	3. Chapter 2 - Strange Appearing

Chapter 2 – Strange appearing.

Tails shop never looked so busy, what with the recent discovery that a great mass had disappeared from Earth's orbit. It wasn't the moon, though it would end up with the same destiny if it ever approached that gravity core. Tails picked up its signal, generated by an unknown source to him, which led to its location on planet Earth. He decided to seek Sonic. "What's wrong Tails?" – He asked. "We have to go to this island! There's something powering a great danger just outside Earth's atmosphere." And so the two of them hoped on Tornado and headed towards the island.

Meanwhile, on a familiar island sitting on the clouds, with its great weight lifted by the controller of Chaos, Knuckles was called upon by some strange imagery. The Master Emerald displayed Sonic and Tails heading towards a mysterious island, though Knuckles had no way of figuring out what or where it was. "Your friends are in great danger! Only the Master Emerald will be able to stop the menace that lies ahead!" – A strange voice echoed through the mountain side that surrounded the shrine. Knuckles was only able to follow its direction with the eyes and get a glimpse of the strange messenger, but he remained static as a wave of energy started coming from the shrine. "This… energy! The Master Emerald has only behaved like this when the Chaos set was reunited, but whatever it is that is pulling it is different. If what that stranger said was true, I'd better leave with the Master Emerald!" Putting aside his concern over Angel Island, Knuckles dove until the white clouds faded into the blue of the ocean, following the signal output of the gem he carried in portable shape. He would eventually arrive at his destination and spot the Tornado for confirmation of Sonic and Tails' whereabouts.


End file.
